Three police officers in Tempe, Arizona, are on paid leave as they investigate their response to a man who jumped into a lake and, despite repeated pleas for help, drowned while officers watched him, according to recently released videos and recordings.
The episode began shortly after 5 a.m. on May 28 after employees arrived at the Tempe Arts Center in response to reported disturbances between a couple, according to footage from a body camera released Friday.
Unidentified police found Sean Bickings, 34, and his companion, who denied having a physical dispute, according to city media.
After speaking to the woman, whose name was not released, police officers approached Mr Bickings. They asked him where he lived. A police officer commented on “skinny jeans” and an AC / DC T-shirt worn by Mr. Bickings, the video shows.
Mr Bickings, who was described by the city authorities as “unprotected”, was not detained, but officials said they would check for unfulfilled orders, the city said in a statement. “This check was not yet complete when Bickings decided to slowly climb over a 4-foot metal fence and enter the water,” the statement said.
Mr Bickings apologized to police, the video shows, and dived into Tempe Town Lake, which is six to 19 feet deep, near the Elmore Pedestrian Bridge.
Mr. BickingsCredit … City of Tempe
“You are not allowed to swim in the lake,” an officer warned, according to the video.
Footage released by the city shows 12 minutes of police interaction, although it was interrupted due to the “sensitive nature” of the other footage, the Tempe Police Department said.
A transcript published by the city told audio, although it was not immediately clear what part of the police interactions involved.
“How far do you think he can swim?” An officer asked, according to the video.
An officer asked Mr. Bickings what his plan was. Mr Bickings said twice that he would drown, to which a police officer replied that he was not and that he should grab the bridge pylon, according to the transcript.
“I’m not going to jump after you,” said another Bickings officer.
“I can’t touch it. Oh my God. Please help me, “said Mr. Bickings. “Help me.”
Mr Bickings swam about 30 to 40 yards, “before repeatedly showing that he was in trouble,” the city said, adding that he soon sank underwater and did not swim again.
According to the transcript, his last words were, “Can you hear me?”
The woman repeatedly asked police to rescue Mr. Bickings, whom she called her husband, according to the transcript. The officers replied that a colleague would take a boat.
“I’m just upset because he’s drowning right in front of you and you’re not going to help,” she said, according to the transcript. About six hours later, his body was removed from the lake.
The city has asked the Arizona Public Security Department and Scottsdale Police to “review” the drowning officers’ response. Nicki Ripley, a spokesman for the city of Tempe, said it was unclear how long the review could take.
She added that the Tempe Police Department had been in contact with Mr Bickings’ parents. “City manager Andrew Ching and police chief Jeff Glover believe Bickings’ death is a tragedy,” the city said in a statement.
Employees have been released on non-disciplinary paid administrative leave, the city said. The Tempe Officers Association, the city’s police union, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tempe City Council is meeting on Thursday to vote on its annual budget.
“This week, Tempe will try to give his police more than our public dollar, based on the lie that they are a public good,” Jamaar Williams, organizer of the Black Lives Matter Phoenix Metro, said in a live Twitter message. “We are constantly confronted and reminded of the discrepancy between what the police promise us and what they do here contribute to death.
Joel Cornejo, a spokesman for Semillas Arizona, a Tempe-based human rights and education organization, said Mr Bickings’ death was another reminder of the city’s excessive police. “We don’t need more officers,” he said.
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